Two Days After the Tyrant Invaded My Cozy Nest

It had been two days since an uninvited guest barged into my cozy little nest. With the tyrant’s return, all I could do was sob and sob. The forcibly expanded room was no longer my snug sanctuary. It had merely grown larger, yet the room I once knew felt gone forever. Ah, does spring come even to a stolen field? I wept bitterly.

And ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so, in the doubled space created by the collapsed wall, one day passed, then two. Just as I had expected, Yena showed no intention of leaving. Normally this would be the hour when I’d be scratching my belly and indulging in glorious laziness, yet here I was, forced to act like a diligent vampire with actual responsibilities. It wasn’t an easy performance. Yena didn’t seem particularly bothered, but this was a matter of my pride. Still, thanks to the situation I was eating three proper meals a day, going to bed at regular hours, and I had to admit it felt somewhat satisfying. As expected, having someone else around really does correct your lifestyle patterns.

Ah, but that doesn’t mean I prefer things this way. Being alone is still better. After all, what’s proper and what you actually like are usually two different things, aren’t they?

Yena had even smashed through the opposite wall to create her own room, yet she rarely used it. Instead she spent most of her time in whatever space I occupied, whether I was working or doing anything else. And so the subtle three days passed—joking around, playing together, living side by side. Today was the day Eclipse would open again.

For the past several days Yena had diligently gathered materials and explained them to me. What kind of tasks previous agents had received, what their individual escape conditions were, the political situation across the continent, the conflicts between nations, even the world map—there wasn’t a single missing document. At this rate it felt like I was using a cheat key. She had said she would follow my decision, yet here she was worrying herself sick.

“Master, have a safe journey.”

Yena saw me off as I climbed into the capsule, still dressed in her pajamas. She was nervously chewing her nails; I wondered when that habit would finally disappear. She had lived long enough, after all. Having someone see me off felt slightly awkward, but not unpleasant, so I smiled and returned the gesture.

“Yeah. See you later.”

“Ugh.”

That guide window really had some nerve with its attitude! A dizzying overload surged inside my skull. Thirteen years’ worth of information was nothing to scoff at, either in quantity or content. So… Ha. Just as I thought.

Yena had explained the setting of the Eclipse world and concluded that the final task was most likely the subjugation of the Demon King. Exactly as she predicted, the Demon King had descended upon this realm. The demon race inducing mutations in monsters, the appearance of demons, the beastmen’s betrayal, and everything else unfolded precisely as she had described.

Part of me wanted to march straight to that so-called Demon King and lop off his head right this instant… but.

I examined my body. Well-trained and powerful. In memories that had not originally belonged to me but now did, I had clearly grown strong. Yet I had no idea how my own task would manifest, and challenging the Demon King at my current level would be nothing but reckless bravado.

As I carefully organized my thoughts, a priest’s booming voice rang out from beyond the window. Hundreds of people had gathered in the square like a cloud. Curious about the commotion, I listened closely.

“Everyone, evil has arrived! The Demon King whom Lady Luna sealed away hundreds of years ago has returned to devour this world once more! The Demon King covets you, your family, your dear friends!”

“Oh dear, why has the world come to this? I’m afraid something terrible is going to happen.”

The crowd murmured and whispered. Amid the noise, an apocalyptic preacher shouting “Repent!” was seized by soldiers and dragged away.

“However, we will not give up! We will not yield! We will prevail! But to do so, we need every one of you!”

“W-what exactly do you need?” came the voice of a rather naive-looking young man.

“Your burning blood! Your blades! If we pool our strength together and crush them, that blade will one day reach the Demon King himself!”

“Uh… does that mean we’re being sent to war?”

The priest clicked his tongue in apparent pity before offering a benevolent smile.

“But just as nobles manage state affairs, clergy serve the gods, and commoners support the nation, not everyone can perform the same duty. There are those born without the blessings of strength and courage, after all.”

The poor young man hung his head in shame.

“But that is perfectly fine. Even someone like you can contribute by offering donations. Did I not say so? Everyone simply needs to fulfill their role in their proper place.”

“Priest…!”

The young man kept apologizing, bowing repeatedly as he emptied his pockets and donated everything he owned to the offering box.

“I’ll work even harder to contribute more.”

“May Lady Luna’s protection be with you.”

Starting with the young man, others began digging into their pockets. Among them were hot-blooded youths who volunteered to enlist on the spot.

“The offering box is right here!” the priest announced loudly, even providing courteous directions. Truly masterful gaslighting. For those who hadn’t been properly educated, it was the perfect setup to drown in guilt and hand everything over. These priests might not excel in faith, but they certainly knew how to sell.

Our Rebecca is clever, so she wouldn’t have fallen for it, right?

“Lee Han! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Come down and eat!”

Yes, our Rebecca had grown into a smart girl who could even prepare meals on her own.

“I’ll be right there!”

The house remained intact and Rebecca had grown up healthy, so it seemed the events from the tutorial had been properly resolved. As expected, that choice had been the correct one. What a relief.

I may not have been able to look after Rebecca directly, but the implanted memories of doing so still moved me deeply when I saw how much she had grown. Auto-raising really was the best.

“Rebecca… didn’t you go out earlier to buy meat?”

“The priests came by, so I gave it all to them.”

I stared at Rebecca with my mouth hanging open. So our Rebecca had grown up to be a total pushover!

“Why are you looking at me like that? The money was going to be spent on you anyway. If I donate a lot, other people will follow. The atmosphere in the square was like that too. I can do a good deed and still gain something from it, so I gave everything.”

“Heh… hehehe.”

Was this my fault too? I couldn’t possibly tell a child, “I sold myself to protect the house and you,” so I had lied and said I joined the army. I never imagined that lie would snowball like this. Still, with how often I got injured and left home, there hadn’t been a better excuse.

“When you go out, if the priests are still around, make sure to donate something. That way the people nearby will notice and give more too.”

It was impressive that Rebecca had seen through their sales tactics, but… it still hurt to lose the money. As I stirred the bland vegetable stew that should have been meat stew with a gloomy expression, Rebecca spoke again.

“How many days will it take this time?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe a week? I might come back sooner.”

Rebecca narrowed her eyes.

“You said it was group training, yet the duration isn’t even decided? You’re not going to war, are you?”

“No, no. The priests are just overreacting. There’s hardly any full-scale war yet.”

Rebecca… could you please not be quite so sharp about these things too?

“Did you pack everything? Are you leaving right after eating?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“Let me see your bag.”

She stopped eating, fetched my bag, unpacked it, and began slapping my back.

“What is this? What is this! Aren’t you going to change clothes? You need more underwear! And didn’t I tell you to always carry emergency bandages!”

“Ow, ow!”

Why was her hand so heavy? Sob… That wasn’t even packed by me. When I had opened my eyes, the bag was already prepared.

“Sigh, when you were little you seemed more dependable…”

Sorry. The core is still the same. In the kid version that level might have been ace, but now… It was getting depressing, so I decided to stop talking.

“Rebecca, I’m heading out. Lock the doors properly. If anything happens, run straight to Grandpa Matthew. And if the door gets broken down anyway, use the first scroll to—”

“Lee Han! I’m an adult now. Of course being an adult doesn’t mean I’m completely safe, but honestly, you’ve overprepared way too much!”

Right… she was an adult. I narrowed my eyes. It was a shame that her once-vibrant purple hair had turned white from the trauma and never regained its color, but it was still charming in its own way. Back when she was a little kid I didn’t need to worry this much, but leaving a nineteen-year-old girl home alone made me deeply uneasy.

The mansion’s defenses were solid, but what if Rebecca herself let a stranger inside? In a place where plastic surgery and makeup techniques were primitive, there were more than a few country bumpkins who lost their minds at the sight of her and tried to court her. Could Rebecca, in the prime of her youth, fend off all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that flirting? Having grown up only in this backwater, the chances that her standards were low were very high. If she ended up falling for some strict fellow…

“Ughhh.”

That absolutely could not happen. Protect our Rebecca! She truly was a solid kid, and I intended to find her a proper match. But at the very least, there was no one in Zachsen who caught my eye.

I placed a serious hand on Rebecca’s shoulder and gave her a solemn warning.

“Rebecca, you mustn’t just hand your attention over to anyone, understand?”

“…What?”

“If you think you might get a boyfriend, get my permission before you start dating—”

“…Just leave already.”

She slammed the door shut. That reaction only made her seem more suspicious… I needed to return as quickly as possible.

From behind me as I walked away came a quiet farewell.

“Take care of yourself and come back safely.”

“Yeah!”

My steps felt considerably lighter. Although thirteen years of memories had been injected, they didn’t feel awkward at all, as though they had always been mine. Receiving training, spending time with comrades, enduring and supporting Rebecca through her puberty—all of it was me. Whether this was the erosion of an anomaly or simply extreme immersion, I couldn’t tell. But this, too, was my life. Though I wasn’t entirely pleased, it was the life of “Lee Han” inside “Eclipse.” Therefore, I accepted it.

This time the destination was Anhol. I had taken up murder as my profession.